To dream of lions represents feelings of total control or domination of others. Either your own need to control others, or your projection of other people who you feel want to control you.

Positively, a lion may represent leadership, courage, or using your temper for good purposes. Yelling at misbehaving children or dishonest people. Angry threats towards criminal-minded people. Terrifying enemies or bullies with your anger. Standing up to someone. Forcing other people to respect you with fear. Strong leadership.

Negatively, a lion may reflect a fear of people who you are allowing to control you. Angry intimidating people in your life. A fear of bullies. Fearing upsetting someone powerful. A persistent feeling of trying very hard not to upset someone. Fearing employers, doctors, dentists, police, or other people with professional authority that you don't want to embarrass yourself with. A fear of legal consequences. Fearing not complying with high standards that are expected of you. Alternatively, it may reflect your abuse or exploitation of power to control others. Losing your temper with people you care about. A really bad temper. An overreaction or embarrassing power trip. Feeling controlled by bills or creditors that will threaten you if you don't pay your bills.

To dream of a female lioness may represent controlling females or feelings of being dominated by women. A fear of angering a powerful women. Feelings about caring too much what passive people think and being controlled by it.

Example: A woman dreamed of having a pet lion. In waking life she was cheating on her husband with a very aggressive man whom she felt she had to look after.

Example 2: A man dreamed of female lions running around a store he regularly shopped at. In waking life when he shopped at the store he was very insecure about what the store owners thought about him. He felt socially controlled.

Example 3: A man dreamed of trying to avoid lions. In waking life he was successfully treating a serious health problem with a natural vitamin supplement and he feared that when he spoke to his medical doctors that they would force him to stop taking it.

Example 4: A young man dreamed of fearing lions. In waking life he was very insecure about attending a really strict school with high standards.

Example 5: A man dreamed of a lion he was trying to avoid. In waking life he regretted yelling at his son and was having problems apologizing for it.

Example 6: A man dreamed of seeing a lion. In waking life he was concerned about his boss making threats about the DEA showing up at his workplace to investigate drugs. In this this case the lion symbolism may have reflected his feelings about his boss being too controlling using threats about the dangerous controlling power of the DEA if he was caught with drugs.

Example 7: A woman dreamed of seeing lions. In waking life she was concerned about being controlled by her creditors requiring payments for debts.

Example 8: A woman dreamed of a lioness. In waking life she was having problems with a female boss that was too controlling.

Lion Tamer

To dream of a lion tamer represents behavior that is focused on keeping controlling and aggressive tendencies in check. You may be a experiencing a situation where you are totally preoccupied by keeping a powerful or controlling person well-behaved. It may also reflect your attempt to learn self-control over anger or to be less of a dominating presence with others.

To dream of a cheetah represents problems or situations that can't be outrun. Issues that you're forced to think about or that you can't escape a confrontation with. It's often a recurring issue that bothers you or that you can't help but be reminded of.

Negatively, a cheetah may reflect a fear of being unable to "outrun" or get away from your problems. Feeling that your enemies or problems are too quick for you. A fear of enemies gaining on you too quickly.

A cheetah may appear in a dream when you are trying to move on in life and something keeps bringing you back to the problem.

Example: A man dreamed of a cheetah. In waking life she was going bankrupt and feared that his new business venture wouldn't take off quickly enough to stop him from losing everything he had. He feared being unable to "outrun" bankruptcy.

Example 2: A woman dreamed of a cheetah in her house. In waking life he was in the middle of a lawsuit and felt that because of her lawyer's unwillingness to do what she wanted she couldn't escape serious financial losses that may occur id the person who was suing her wasn't stopped.